Industry heavyweight, Justin Musgrove, has joined Fitness First UK as CEO.

A strong operator with a track record of achieving results in private and listed businesses, Musgrove has just returned from the Middle East, where he was CEO of Leejam and Core Life.

The big hire comes as the Fitness First is rebuilding following a challenging restructuring case which concluded on 29 June, when the court used its cross cram down powers to push through rent reductions to save the business from liquidation.

Musgrove has a strong background in health and fitness and wellness, having been at Center Parcs for 19 years from 1998 to 2007 years and then Bannatyne for 12 years, latterly as CEO – a role he took up the year after the company was embroiled in a serious fraud case.

At Bannatyne, Musgrove re-set the business and oversaw a £50 million fresh of the estate, as well as being responsible for the entire health and fitness and spa and wellness portfolio.

He tackled three major roles while in the Middle East, rolling out clubs for Leejam as CEO, before moving to Kun Sports as CEO and then developing and launching the Core Life brand for Kun Investment Holdings, again as CEO.